The music of Joseph Haydn and his circle

Haydn at the 2014 BBC Proms

It is with great disappointment we learn that for the second year in a row (and the third since 2011) there is no Haydn programmed at this year’s BBC Proms. Over the last four Proms seasons only a single score, his London Symphony, No. 104, has been heard. It seems a pity for those who admire this masterly composer that his music appears to be neglected.

However, there are consolations for those whose appetite for Haydn’s advocates and contemporaries might otherwise go unsated. The tireless Classicist Sir Roger Norrington conducts JS Bach’s St. John Passion in July and Beethoven’s 8th Symphony in September. The 300th anniversary of CPE Bach is marked with a chamber concert. The estimable Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra visit with a pair of Austro-Hungarian programmes. Finally there is a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, music that none needs feel that they are suspending their affiliations to appreciate.

In the meantime the rich musical life of London and, indeed, the rest of the UK continues to benefit from programming Haydn’s music, satisfying audiences and performers alike as it always has.